Minor Parties, Employment Relations and Election 2026: Small Actors, Significant Influence

Abstract

The 2023 general election in New Zealand saw the formation of a new coalition government – comprised of National, New Zealand First and ACT - that has enacted significant employment relations (ER) policy changes. To a large extent, these changes reflected the coalition agreement that National entered into with ACT, the larger of its coalition partners. Heading into the 2026 election, the two largest and longest-standing parties in parliament (National and Labour) have a combined polling that is historically low, while the minor parties have a correspondingly high level of support. This article looks at the dynamics and decisions of the government formed after the 2023 election, focussing on the ER policy changes implemented during this term of government, the current ER policies and election prospects of each of the minor parties, and what this might mean for the ER policy agenda after the 7 November 2026 election.